There are a many steps involved in installing a pool, and the process differs depending on which type of pool you choose. A vinyl liner pool itself takes about two weeks to install. But the accompanying patio can take from one week to a year, depending on the construction process. A gunite concrete pool takes six to eight weeks from excavation to your first swim. Those time frames don’t include the permit process, which, as you’ll see, can be tricky. And they don’t include the weeks you may have to wait before your busy pool contractor gets to your project.
Let’s look at the pool construction process for both vinyl liner and gunite pool types. This will answer your question of how long it takes to build a pool and why.
Meet Your Pool Designer
Your pool begins with a design, so the first step is meeting your professional pool designer. He or she will visit your property to discuss the vision you have for your pool. This person will be your contact point throughout the process and will coordinate the entire effort. Your designer will listen to your ideas and offer material suggestions and layout options that will help give your new pool shape and form. If you give the go-ahead for a design, your designer will have a pool design to present to you in one to two weeks.
Next: Securing the Building Permits
Here’s where things can go quickly and easily, or they can get hung up for months. It all depends on your city or town, and how long officials take to approve permits. Some municipalities approve permits quickly, and you’ll have approval in two weeks. Others require several different approvals, attendance at a planning board meeting and involvement from an engineer and can take up to six months to approve your construction.
Next Up: The Big Dig
Once your pool contractor has the necessary permits and pool equipment to get the job done right, it’s time to dig. But be aware of any good pool builder likely has a backlog of work, and clients are in line on a first-come, first-served basis. Expect to wait between one and four weeks from the time you get your permit to your excavation. That wait time increases as construction season heats up.
Constructing Vinyl Pools
The actual installation of a vinyl liner pool is quick. It takes just a week or two from the day of the excavation until there’s water in your pool. It’s the accompanying patio that can hold things up. To understand this, you need to know that your pool construction team needs to dig a hole three feet larger all around than the actual size of your pool, to accommodate construction. That means once the inground pool installation is complete, they must backfill that extra space, either with the same dirt they excavated or with gravel they haul to your site. Using the existing dirt is the less expensive option, but the dirt must settle before the patio can be constructed on top of it. Ideally, that existing dirt will need to settle through the fall, winter, and spring seasons to endure a freeze and thaw cycle. If your crew brings in gravel, at an extra cost, they can construct the patio right away. Once patio construction begins, it can take from two days to two weeks, depending on the material you choose. Concrete will be done in two days, pavers in one week and natural stone in two weeks.
Constructing A Gunite Pool
It takes about two weeks from the day of excavation to the day your crew will construct the concrete shell of your pool. Then, that concrete must set for 28 days before the plaster coating can be applied. During those 28 days, your crew can attend to the electrical, tile and patio work. Unlike the vinyl pool liner, gunite pools don’t need that extra dirt excavated, so the patio can go in right away. Once the plaster is on, water can go in, and you’re all set. So, a gunite pool, from digging to swimming, takes about six to eight weeks to complete the full pool install. Let us be your Frisco / McKinney Pool Service!
